Law now requires 40 hours of driving

Beginning today, teenage drivers who get their instruction permit will need 40 hours of behind-the-wheel driving instruction to meet one of the requirements to obtain a driver’s license.

The new law also applies to teenagers who got their instruction permit in 2006, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Revenue.

The original law required drivers with an instruction permit to have 20 hours of logged driving time.

The 40 hours of instruction must include at least 10 hours of night-time driving. A driving instructor must be present whenever a teenager with an instruction permit is driving. A driving instructor is defined as a parent, grandparent, legal guardian or qualified driving instructor.

Information and other requirements for Missouri’s graduated driver’s license program can be found at dor.mo.gov/mvdl/drivers/gradlaw.htm.